Three-pronged Vajra Pestle (Sankosho)
Unknown Artist
early 1300s
Medium
gilt bronze
Dimensions
17.5 × 5 cm
Classification
Metalwork
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Dr. Richard G. Paley
Accession Number
1974.264
About this artwork
Called a vajra in Sanskrit, a pestle of this kind is an Esoteric Buddhist ritual implement derived from the thunderbolt held by the Indian Vedic god Indra. The round forms along the center of the handle, known as demon eyes, are rather compressed in this example, and the lotus petal shapes near the prongs are quite sharply delineated.